in that storage area. it's unclear if that somehow sparked the blaze, but fire officials do know that is where the fire began. >> the area that's involved, that's a huge area for containers that are ready to be shipped out. they could be shipped out at any moment. that was a storage area. something happened to ignite them. they're made of polypropylene plastic, when that gets ignited, as you see, it puts out the black smoke and looks similar to a flammable liquid fire. it's basically a hired hydro "today" sh -- hydrocarbon. >> reporter: officials are on scene, but it's too early to say what toxic problems it may cause. to be safe, city officials are advising residents to avoid the area. if you are within a two-mile radius to turn off your air conditioning, shut your windows and doors, and stay inside. we've also been told that outdoor recreational programs

here in fairfield have been cancelled to make sure kids are indoors. city officials are urging people to stay away from the fire. we've talked to several people who came here just to check it out because they are seeing that huge plume of smoke for from miles away, and it is quite the sight to see. again, it is not safe. you can get in the way of fire personnel on the ground. urging people to stay away. we've also been told from fire officials that they should have this blaze completely out in the next hour to an hour and a half. we'll be here live giving you updates all evening long. for now, live in fairfield, nbc bay area news. >> thank you. reporting from the ground level there. it should be noted, we should reiterate this, this is only affecting the warehouse. in terms of the blaze today, mac macroplastic, no homes or sfruk tou -- or structures damaged. throughout the afternoon we've watched the plume of smoke grow and grow, and slowly start to

dissipate. as elise mentioned, it should be contained in about an hour. what about the winds, though, spreading these flames -- or spreading the smoke now across the region, they are causing problems this evening. let's bring in chief meteorologist jeff ranieri who joins us now from berkeley. where you are, what's the vantage points and what's happening as wind directions change? >> reporter: well, we are continually seeing these winds ramp up 15 to 25 miles per hour. and you know a lot of the smoke is downwind from us. we're seeing the steady westerly wind pushing everything right toward the sacramento area at this point. once again, the winds extremely gusty. while the sheltering place has been lifted, areas within the region, within a one to two-mile radius still need to be monitoring this closely with the possible toxic nature of the fumes. as we head throughout tonight, what we're going to be finding are winds sustained at 15 miles per hour. but that could steadily gust to 30 miles per hour.

there's regions that are of concern. near air base parkway, peabody road, also walters road. cypress lakes golf course and also the city of dixon and california 113, those are areas in a five-dmy radius and downwind this plastics fire that has before bi-- has been burninr to five hours. there's a possible toxic nature from the fumes. the warning has been lifted but it does not mean the danger is over. if you live in the area, monitor conditions closely as there will be plenty of hot spots as we continue throughout tonight. the winds are ramping up. they're definitely not going to be letting up as we continue throughout tonight. raj? >> thank you, jeff ranieri reporting from berkeley. once again the fire will be contained. now the issue of the smoke and the possible toxic fumes of where it's going to go downwind. as jeff ranieri was saying, the winds will be picking up as the evening chunks. there's another developing story now, this time in the

south bay. it's causing havoc for the commute on highway 237 in sunnyvale. at one point this afternoon, 237 was closed in both directions for more than two hours. as of this hour, though, many lanes remain closed. there are a couple lane that are open. it was a fatal accident involving a big rig truck. the driver died after his truck burst into flames. it happened a little after 2:00 this afternoon. people in the area reported hearing a loud explosion and then seeing a pillar of smoke. nbc bay area's kris sanchez joining us from the scene. how many cars were involved, and why is it taking so long to clear the scene? >> reporter: right now it looks like there was only the one big rig involved in the crash. the reason for the sdla because this is a complicated situation. when the driver was going eastbound on 237 and lost control, hit the center divide, part of the vehicle was evecjec into the other lanes of traffic. you're talking about affecting both lanes of traffic, eastbound

and westbound. the good news is if you look behind me, you see the traffic is flowing again in that westbound direction in all but one of the lanes. the last lane will be closed until 6:30 as will the lanes of traffic going in the eastbound direction. that's the hope for the chp to reopen lanes of traffic just around 6:30. prance as early as 6:15. what happened was the driver was driving eastbound when he lost control because of a tire that blew out. that's what witnesses told the chp. when he lost control, he hit the center divide, and the vehicle flipped over, crossed into the other lanes of traffic, and burst into flames. so it is fortunate that no one else was injured. the truck appeared to be carrying a load of dirt or perhaps some pieces of building material, but the fire was hot, and it was fast. >> a big tire blew out, the truck lost control and then overturned trapping the driver and subsequently caught fire.

he was trapped inside. >> reporter: now the coroner did come out not just to remove the driver now make sure there wasn't another person inside the cab of the truck. and i just got confirmation from the chp that there is only one victim in this crash. now the chp spokeswoman said at that point when the first responders arrived, it was just too hard to tell. now the chp did open some of the westbound lanes. if this is part of your evening commute, though, and you're going to hit the road in the next couple of minutes, you might want to play it safe and plan on taking 101 or lawrence expressway instead. back here at the scene, you see traffic moving in at least one direction. should be back to normal by a little bit later on this afternoon. if this is indeed the case of a blown-out tire, it might be the positive thing to come out of the story might be a good reminder to make sure that your tires are properly inflated. whether they're not, they can risk blowing out. in sunnyvale, kris sanchez, nbc

bay area news. >> thank you very much. a helicopter spent the day flying over an east bay park searching for one and perhaps two gunmen suspected of protecting a marijuana grow operation. a park police officer says he was fired on last night while on patrol. the officer returned fire in the remote area near the upper san leandro reservoir. the suspected growers fired a high-powered rifle at park police, then fled. a manhunt turned up no one. leaders of the park police say they'll return with more reinforcements to eradicate the abandoned grow. >> in this area where it's a watershed area, a lot of the area there is off limits to the public. >> okay. >> stow keeps a lot of the public out. there are some hiking trails in the area. but it keeps them away from the people, these people really don't want to be found. >> police say it will take lots of outside help to scour the rugged canyon area. for many people it's an uneasy time both at work and at

home. especially for women who are walking a tightrope, balancing work, children, childcare, a spouse, and now a new study says caring for an older family member. things could get even more difficult now because of california's budget problems. let's bring in nbc bay area's jodi hernandez who -- what could happen here, and what's the impact possibly on families? >> reporter: raj, thousands of bay area families and seniors will be impacted if the state stops funding adult day centers. the center here takes care of some 130 seniors. and you can see the pictures are up here on the wall. and the folks who operate the center fear that soon these folks will be thrown under the bus. >> four, five -- >> reporter: arlena vance has peace of mind knowing that her 85-year-old mother who is legally blind -- >> seven -- >> reporter: and suffers from

dementia spends her weekdays at el sabronte's guardian health center. >> for my mom and people who need it. they need a facility like this. you know, the nursing, the exercise, everything. it's their home. >> reporter: the center's days may be numbered. the program was eliminated through lawmakers' budget cuts, and now governor jerry brown has vetoed a bill that would have kept the state's 300 centers afloat. >> doing something for a tiny subset has to be looked at when we're short of money. and when you're trying to do it in a way that will utilize medicare, medi-cal in the best way possible. >> reporter: peter baird, founder of the guardian adult day health center is outraged and worried. he says his clients' lives are on the line. >> the governor is lying through his teeth. there are no places to transition these people do. basically they're going to be told to go straight home,

deteriorate, and die. >> reporter: 85-year-old concepcion colacian says the center has given her something to look forward to. she's gone from a state of depression to feeling healthy and happy. >> i'm better every day because if i'm in the house, i'm lonely. i'm alone. >> reporter: the staff at guardian treats body, spirit, and soul. care these folks may soon be without. >> they have a kind heart. they have that social -- the community service heart, which i think should be given to the governor. >> reporter: we are back here live. you're looking at this beautiful center that's been serving area seniors for some 17 years. each day about 60 seniors show up at 8:30 in the morning. they're taken care of until 3:00 in the afternoon. but folks certainly aren't giving up on this fight.

a lawsuit has been filed by disability advocates claiming that if the centers are closed, there are just not any alternatives. and that violates the american with disability act. now right now as it stands, funding is set to dry up come december 1. reporting live, jodi hernandez, nbc bay area news. >> thank you. it's a delicate balance. what happens in washington trickles down here to california and specifically the bay area. at last night's nationally televised presidential address, it didn't seem to work. mr. obama pleading for a compromise. today in washington, no signs of compromise. house republicans say they cannot support house speaker john boehner's debt ceiling plan because it doesn't cut spending enough. and even if his plan does pass the house and the senate, the white house is threatening a veto because it would only raise the debt limit temporarily. here in california, state leaders are borrowing $5 billion from private investors just in case no deal is reached. this would protect california's

interests. a potential cash shortage could mean reduced medicare and medicaid payments or even no payments at all, as well as slash funding for public school programs. the rich are getting richer, and the poor even poorer. and those struggling the most, minorities. a new study published today by the pew research center found that hispanic families are having the most difficulty making ends meet in this recession. the median wealth of hispanic households fell by 66% between 2005 and 2009. asians saw a 54% drop. but their overall wealth is still higher. african-americans saw a 53% drop, and caucasians saw a 16% drop. the study which used data from the census bureau found that about one quarter of all hispanic and african-american households own nothing but a car. feeling the heat like never before. next at 5:00, why the blistering heat wave across the country is expected to raise prices on a lot of things. staples that we buy at the grocery store. and legalize it? how marijuana advocates are

renewing the push to make their drug of choice legal. and look carefully. it was a dream wedding, but you couldn't really tell. a soldier's wife finds a way to tie the knot even without being in the same country as her husband. and good afternoon, i'm chief meteorologist jeff ranieri live in berkeley where the kites are so large you can actually stand up inside. we'll tell you about an event you don't want to miss this weekend. [ male announcer ] brace yourself for the big, bold taste of a subway® bbq pulled pork sub. tender, succulent slow-cooked pork with sweet and smoky barbecue sauce, all on freshly baked bread. subway. eat fresh®. montrose, california. in here, anarchy meets order.

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marijuana supporters are working to legalize pot in california again. they've just got the okay from the secretary of state's office to begin collecting signatures to qualify for an upcoming ballot. this time they will argue marijuana growers should be treated the same as microbrewer or vineyard owners. those who grow pot for their own use would not be taxed, but those who sell it would be regulated by the state department of alcoholic beverage control. bishop ron allen of the international faith-based coalition opposes legalizing marijuana. >> marijuana today, the kids see, has skyrocketed 24% to 34%. it's not the giggly marijuana that the hippies used to smoke. marijuana is a schedule one drug, and you get high. you do not smoke marijuana as a casual recreational drug. >> supporters need to collect more than 500,000 signatures in order to qualify for the ballot.

proposition 19 and would have legalized pot use in california failed during last november's election. the high temperatures across the countri, do they affect us here? yes, milk prices are good up. the extreme heat on the coast is causing cows to eats less which in turn -- to eat less, which in turn means they produce less milk. as temperatures rise, so do milk prices at the local grocery store. faeshls are trying to keep the cows cool with big fans. states in the midwest and southeast reported 10% to 20% drop in milk production, and it could be a while before prices come back down. who needs a wedding dress, music, or flowers to get married? not sarah brown. all she needed was a telephone. >> i now pronounce you married. >> yea! [ applause ] >> this would be a unique wedding. brown married the man of her dreams over the phone. she married a combat medic in the army. specialist randall blake, who's serving on a one-year tour of duty in afghanistan.

that wasn't going to get in the way of love and happy not. >> he was saying that he couldn't wait to get married, and i said i can't wait either. he said, well, maybe we should figure out a way to get married now. >> good call. sarah never imagined her dream wedding at the county vital statistics office in placerville, but that's where she was. she surely didn't imagine randall's mother standing next to her as his power of attorney. that was the first of -- this was one of the first married-by might have proxy unions in placerville. remarkable. >> i know. congratulations to them. it is a beautiful day outside, and our own jeff ranieri is taking advantage of it. >> jeff is in berkeley where they're getting ready for the kite festival this weekend. i just saw you -- were you actually in the kite there? >> yes, we were inside of the kite, but i was summoned outside just so you guys could see a little bit of how beautiful it is out here. now take a look. these kites are so large, the wind is so gusty, they actually have to be strapped down here to the ground with some pretty strong gauged wire. behind us, take a look at this

octopus. they're going to lift this off. it's about 100 feet and costs about $4,500. let's lift it up. we'll lift it up live on the air for you. this is all a preview of what's going to be happening this weekend at the berkeley kite festival as they launch this in about 30 mile-per-hour winds. thanks a lot. doing a great job. tom mccallster, you're in charge of the event. tell everybody at home, this happens every year. a few thing that are going to be different this year. >> it's really awesome. this's great. we've got a kid zone, bounce houses like crazy. multiple bounce houses, train, gocarts galore, pony rides, kidzone, 2011. >> the bay area couldn't be a better place to fly kites. who what are some of the big ones that we're going to be seeing, and how large is the largest? >> my gosh, the octopus, we saw up here, 100-feet long. there's going to be 20 of these flying at the festival. it will absolutely blow you away. crazy, crazy. dogs, cats, teddy bears, all manner of sea creatures.

crazy, fun stuff. >> yeah. and it looks amazing in -- on tv i'm sure, when you come out in person, it's really -- it blows you away. the best part of all is it's free. we like that. >> it is absolutely free. and if you don't want -- you go to the ball game and get stuck if traffic, it's a nightmare. this year we have three shuttle buses going to north berkeley bart, also going to west berkeley. you can ride amtrak to the station or ride bart and get to the festival for free. absolutely nothing. >> that's perfect. thank you very much, tom. we appreciate it. we'll have more coming up, of course, at 6:00 on the berkeley kite festival happening this weekend. let's get to the weather headlines. of course, it is breezy out here along the bay. winds 15 to 25 miles per hour. we're going to see that as we head throughout tonight with the fog that's already starting to roll back into the bay. and as we continue throughout the next 48 hours, what we're going to see is this region of high pressure building in from the southwest. that's going to be heating us up here as we head throughout the next couple of days. we're talking about temperatures that will be in the 80s for tomorrow, and then as we head

throughout thursday, we'll get even a little bit more warming back into the forecast. as for tomorrow, we're going to see temperatures starting off with 50s. then by 11:00 a.m., 70s, and also a fewly eight for the east and -- few low eig80s for the e. and the best part of all, it is f-r-e-e. come down to the berkeley marina and check this out. they're going to have kites from all over. even a kite-flying team from japan. and we are expecting some sun, and of course a little fog as we head throughout parts of this weekend, as well. on your seven-day forecast, it gradually warms up inland. we're talking 90-degree temperatures by friday. saturday, and also for sunday. some pretty good heat inland. if you want to escape it, nothing pert than coming on out here in berkeley. raj and janelle, i get the sense maybe next time you want to see me up inside one of these while it's flying. i'll have to check on that. >> okay. wear a parachute just in case. >> i was going to say -- i'm

going to need some kind of device in case, you know. all right. more coming up at 6:00. >> you can't do it. it's not part of the nbc policies. the health and awareness policy. >> that's a liability. so we've got stay on the ground. >> yes, be safe at all times. >> yes, thank you very much. watch out netflix, next, why the movie rental giant is facing some new competition from walmart. and taking flashmobs to a new level.d wasin behisd the- mh party next?

walmart.com is now streaming movies the same day they come out on dvd. this comes tokyo after netflix announce -- comes two weeks after netflix announced new price increases. walmart bought video streaming service vudu.com, and offers 20,000 titles that can be viewed on devices with internet access. unlike netflix it will not offer

subscriptions making subscriptions similar to itunes. f> up,ne xt t fhomro a recent flight from sfo.

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we usually see flashmobs on ground level. this time way up in the sky. ♪ >> yes, they were airline passengers. 20 performers from a san francisco hula troop started dancing on a flight from san francisco to honolulu earlier this month. hawaiian airlines may have been in on it because the airline released the video and allowed its cabin speak force broadcast the music. how fun. before we leave you tonight, we have an update on our top story. it's been a tense and fiery scene for the last few hours.

but it's now under control. that massive fire we were telling but, the warehouse fire in fairfield. it is now under control. >> yeah. that was at macroplastics, a shelter in place has been lifted. we'll have the latest at 6:00.